The 2015 Academy Award nominations were announced on Thursday morning, and several names from the Malibu community are up for Oscars.
Edward Norton, a Point Dume resident up for Best Supporting Actor for “Birdman,” had a role in both films that received the most nominations: “Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Birdman.” Each film garnered nine nominations.
Rory Kennedy’s documentary “Last Days in Vietnam” received a nod for Best Documentary. Kennedy’s husband, Mark Bailey, helped write the documentary. The husband-and-wife duo live in the Point Dume neighborhood and often collaborate on film projects. “Last Days in Vietnam” screened in Malibu throughout 2014.
“Last Days” focuses on the final 24 hours the U.S. spent in South Vietnam before leaving the area under Saigon’s control. During a screening in March 2014, Kennedy said, “I think we all felt like the men who sacrificed to save the lives of these Vietnamese was the story that hadn’t been told. Understanding the events as they happened, what led to the chaos at the end, and the story of these heroic people who went against U.S. policy to do the right thing — it’s a part of our collective history that hasn’t been told.”
Patricia Arquette, another Malibu resident, is nominated for her supporting role in “Boyhood.” The film won several Golden Globes on Sunday evening, including Best Drama, and remains one of the favorites at the Oscars. A special screening of “Boyhood” took place in Malibu last October. Arquette plays the protagonists’ single mother. She told The Malibu Times that the first time she watched “Boyhood,” she realized “the life cycle of a human is very short.”
She also knows the feeling of “what it is to be a single parent and having to choose between buying diapers or food.”
The Academy Awards take place on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. For the full list of nominees, click here.
